1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a simple and less expensive female component for a mechanical refastenable fastening device (i.e., "touch and close fastener" or "hook and loop-type fastener") which is conveniently used in mostly disposable applications such as disposable diapers, disposable operating gowns, disposable underwear and other clothing.
2. Description of Related Art
Hook and loop-type fasteners have been constituted of two components, a female component having loop-shaped female elements placed on the surface of cloth such as knitted or woven fabric and a male component having hook-shaped or mushroom-shaped male elements capable of engaging with the female element, the male elements being placed on the surface of another cloth. When the female component and the male component are pressed together in a face-to-face relationship to close the fastener, the two elements placed on both clothes engage each other to form a plurality of mechanical bonds therebetween. This engagement is utilized not only for clothing but also for various daily necessaries such as bags. Conventional female elements which have been widely known are female components wherein multi-filaments or mono-filaments made of synthetic resins such as nylon and polyester are utilized and loops made up of such filaments are formed on a cloth for their support.
In the case of a female component constituted from the above-mentioned knitted or woven fabric as a support, a strong structure can be adopted and, therefore, a big engaging force between the female component and the male component can be achieved. On the other hand, however, due to the use of knitted or woven fabric, the cost is high in the above female component which is produced via complicated manufacturing steps. Accordingly, it is difficult to utilize the simple and easy engaging function of the touch and close fastener (hook and loop-type fastener) in such a use where products (such as a disposable diaper) are disposed after about five to ten engagements and a relatively small magnitude of the engaging force acting therebetween is enough for actual use.
There have been various proposals for female components utilizing nonwoven fabric which is relatively in low cost due to its high productivity instead of such knitted or woven fabric. As mentioned already, the nonwoven fabric female component is inferior in terms of absolute engaging capability to the female component made up of knitted or woven fabric. In applying to the use where relatively small engaging ability will do, however, the advantage of the use of nonwoven fabric is not only that it has a high productivity but also that a constituent in a sheet form and a female element constituting the loop can be utilized substantially in one constituent component whereby it is possible to offer a very less expensive female component. It is also expected that, unlike the knitted or woven fabric, the nonwoven fabric female component would have a good characteristic that fraying upon cutting hardly takes place.
However, in known female components made of nonwoven fabric, there is a disadvantage that a reduction in an engaging capability is high, as compared with those made of knitted or woven fabric, after repeated engagements to the extent of 5 to 10 times in view of disposable applications.
The present inventors paid their attention to this point, have conducted an intensive study for keeping the above engaging capability of a touch and close fastener (hook and loop-type fastener) made of nonwoven fabric, even having excellent advantages, and have succeeded in producing the present invention.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an art capable of preventing a female component from the reduction of its inceptive engaging force (engaging force at an initial use) after repeated engagements and to achieve and provide an improved low-cost female component for a touch and close fastener (hook and loop-type fastener) with highly advantageous characteristics.